Holder for dental x-ray films



1. M. MARTIN. HOLDER FOR DENTAL X-RAY FILMS.

APPLICATION FILED AUGJO, 1920 @mmm May 17, M21.

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HOLDER FOR DENTAL X-IRAY FILMS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented. May 17, 1921.

Application led August 10, 1920. Serial No. 402,510.

To all whom it may concern.'

Be it known that I, JAMES M. MARTIN, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Dallas, in the county of Dallas and State of Texas, have invented a new and Improved Holder for Dental X-Ray Films, of whichrthe following is a description.

My invention relates to holders for films of X-ray pictures taken of teeth for use by dentists.

An important object of the invention is to provide a holder to which the film may be secured with facility and in a manner to securely hold the film as well as to provide retaining members on the holder so formed and arranged as to blanket the minimum area of the film and thereby to expose the maximum area for transmitted light for the clear viewing of the film.

A further important object of the in-` vention is'to provide a holder in which two series of openings are presented pertaining respectively tothe upper .and lowe jaws, the respectlve openings in each series aving designations identifying. the openings and hence identifying the pictures therein with particular teeth so that the two series will comprise -pictures totaling viewsv of the complete mouth and Vwith the pictures in each series in the proper sequence, whereby the dentist or physician for whom the work is done or to whom the work is referred, may see at a glanceV just where diseased processes are located. j

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, it being understood that the -drawings are merely illustrative of one example of the invention.

Figure 1 is a front View of a holder embodying my invention presenting an opening for a single picture, the view showing the film in position;

Fig. 2 is a' longitudinal sectional view of the holder with the film therein;

Fig. 3 is a' perspective view of said holder without the film;

Fig 4 is a front view of a holder having series of openings for receiving pictures of particular groups of teeth in the upper and lower jaws respectively.

Referring at first more particularly to Figs. 1 to 3, the holder l0 which is made of f cardboard or stiffpaper and has 'the general character of a sti card, is provlded with a single opening to receive a film A, the opensame side ofthe opening. Thus, the retaining members` 11 and 12 while presenting a total. effective engaging surface because of their vmaximum length in extending from corner to corner overlap the picture to the minimum extent.

y Between adjacent members 11 and 12 at each corner o the opening, a small retaining member 13 is formed on the holder and presents a convex edge. The relation of a retaining corner member 13 and the adjacent elongated retaining members 11 and 12 is such that acute entrant angles are providedv at the sides of each corner member 13.

In the use of the holder the film A is applied thereto with the retaining .members 11, 12 disposed at one side of'thefilm while the corner retaining members 13 are disposed at the opposite side of the film. The film A is formed in practice with rounded corners a to prevent the film at the corners from catching on adjacent objects inthe handling of the holder. The result is that the film may be inserted with facility and will be securely held, andapproximately the complete area of the picture may be exposed to the light. On the face of the holder 10 several designations are provided, such as Right, Left, Upper, Lower, and preferably two blank lines so that the particular teeth pertaining to the upper or lower jaw may be witten in, to wit; molars, euspids, bicuspids and centrals.

In Fig. 4 the holder 10a presents two series of five openings each and these bear designations in sequence identifying the openings in one series for receiving pictures respectively of upper left molars; upper left cus-- pidsl and bicuspids; upper centrals; upper 'right cuspids and'bicuspids; upper right molars, while the five openings 1n the other series bear designations in proper sequence identifying the openings for receiving pictures respectively of lower left molars;

lower left cuspids and bicuspids; lower cen-` trals; lower right cuspids and bicuspids lower right molars. Thus, in each series the openings for the centrals are centrally disposed in the'series and those o enings for pictures of teeth at the left and right respectively of the centrals have positions corv responding with the positions of these right played on. the holder at the proper opening serves to identify the picture with teeth of a given jaw and particular teeth of that jaw by the location of the picture, thus facilitating theV examination by the dentist or hysician and the ready identification by liim of the particular teeth pictured.

I would state in conclusion that while the illustrated example constitutes a practical embodiment of my invention, I do not limit `myself strictly to the exact details herein illustrated, since manifestly the same can be considerably varied without departure from the spirit of the invention as defined in the applended claim.

aving thus described my invention, I claim:

As a new article of manufacture, a film holder of the indicated class resenting an opening, said opening being efned at the four sides by elongated retaining members presentin convexed edges and each extending rom a oint adjacent to one corner to a point adiacent to the opposite corner; together with smaller retainin members presenting convexed edges and disposed at the corners to alternate with said elongated retaining members.

JAMES MADISON MARTIN. 

